Monthly Archives: December 2014

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11 Helsby runners turned out for the special Christmas Day Parkrun at Delamere with Jim Jones even managing a PB! Great going everyone.

Pos. Name Time

21 Jim JONES 20:10

56 Andy SMITH 23:03

62 Janet ROBERTSON 23:21

86 Louise MCEVELEY 25:12

90 Stephen WIGGINS 25:27

106 Lesley FEAKES 26:56

116 David FEAKES 27:35

151 Rhea THOMAS 31:00

159 Helen GILLARD 32:43

160 Phil GILLARD 33:00

183 Ivor JOHNSTONE 37:01

Chester Round the Walls Race 26-12-2014

Geoff and Janet Shaw shook off the effects of their Xmas dinners and turned out for the Boxing Day race around Chester Walls with Geoff finishing in 33:00 and 147th position and Janet in 42:49 in 363rd place. Well done both.

Merseyvend Festive 4 miler 26-12-2014

Colin Thompson was Helsbys only runner in this race but certainly made it count by securing 3rd place overall, 1st place in his age category and making off with the prize of a crate of Guinness. Col reports that this is a very fast and flat course, an extension of the Merseyvend 5K course, and likely to be an annual event from this year forward.

Telford Dusk til Dawn 27-12-2014

Ste Wiggins had a long day on the 27th running the Telford Dusk Til Dawn multi lap race where he completed 32 miles in approximately 6 hours. Thats some going Ste, well done.

Full results are not up for this race yet but provisional results are showing Helsby/ Warrington and Lymm Ladies were in first place while the Mens team were in 5th. Great results for the club. Some pictures kindly taken by Jackie Keasley are below and full results to follow when available.

Just a quick reminder that, weather and conditions permitting, there will be a couple of recce runs of the Helsby Half Marathon course on New Years Eve. One at 09:30 and the other (which will be pacing around 90 minute pace) at 13:30. Both starting from the club house. Later the same day at 18:30 Colin T will also be putting on his 10K time trial.

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Wednesday saw our annual Xmas Handicap race and it was great to see a good mix of old and new faces making this a big event on the night. Well done to Ellen Harris for storming around for the win and thank you to Jackie for taking the time to organise this and all our volunteers who helped make the event run smoothly. Also big thank you to Dave & Lesley for coordinating the soup and mince pies for our supper. For those who missed Jackies original email please see her race report and results below:

“Our tightly contested annual Xmas Handicap followed by a Soup Supper and Secret Santa took place last Wednesday with 35 runners fighting it out along to the High School and back. Thanks to the timing marshals and Joe & Mario for turning runners around at Godscroft Lane. Congratulations to winner Ellen Harris, who has joined us as a result of Jane’s recent 16-23 taster sessions. Lots of banter about allocated handicaps, but in the middle of the field there were a lot of very close packed finishing times with plenty of runners to chase down on the final chip shop straight. Colin ran at the back most of the race due to a rather adverse handicap! He still did the fastest time though! Well done to everyone who took part. Best Santa prezzie of the evening has to be the turkey hat!!”

Full results below:

XMAS 2014 HANDICAP START TIMES

HANDICAP TIMES

Rounded

Starting Time

Position

Handicap

Actual

FirstName

LastName

00:08:00

Time

Time

Ellen

Harris

00:00

1

25:53

25:53

Michelle

Hardwick

02:30

2

27:26

24:56

Jake

Oldfield-Connor

04:30

3

31:03

26:33

Donna

Geer

03:00

4

31:42

28:42

Alison

Butler

00:30

5

31:43

31:13

Graham

Lloyd

05:30

6

31:50

26:20

Tim

Igoe

09:30

7

31:59

22:29

Adam

Gordon

12:00

8

32:59

20:59

Benjamin

Williams

07:30

9

33:06

25:36

Charlie

Close

10:00

10

33:10

23:10

Adrian

Jackson

11:00

11

33:12

22:12

Shan

McCarthy

05:00

12

33:21

28:21

Emma

Barnes

02:30

13

33:28

30:58

Chris

Ashbrook

07:00

14

33:31

26:31

John

Gallon

04:30

15

33:43

29:13

Jenny

O’Hare

04:30

16

33:47

29:17

Rachel

Arnold

08:00

17

33:48

25:48

Joanne

Lacking

11:00

18

33:49

22:49

Phil

Gillard

11:00

19

33:52

22:52

Christopher

Igoe

05:30

20

33:53

28:23

Carol

Shaw

09:30

21

33:54

24:24

Mike

Searle

09:30

22

33:57

24:27

Andy

Robinson

10:30

23

33:59

23:29

James

Higgins

12:30

24

34:01

21:31

Janet

Robertson

09:00

25

34:04

25:04

Gareth

Boyd

12:30

26

34:06

21:36

Roy

Gaskill

12:00

27

34:33

22:33

Jane

Ashbrook

11:30

28

34:47

23:17

Vanessa

Griffiths

10:00

29

34:53

24:53

Mike

McShane

03:00

30

35:02

32:02

Stephen

Wiggins

09:30

31

35:10

25:40

Carl

Pratt

10:00

32

35:14

25:14

Colin

Thompson

14:45

33

35:32

20:47

Mike

Farwell

10:00

34

36:08

26:08

Claire Louise

Miller

07:00

35

38:59

31:59

XMAS 2014 HANDICAP START TIMES

ABSOLUTE TIMES

Rounded

Starting Time

Position

Handicap

Actual

FirstName

LastName

00:08:00

Time

Time

Colin

Thompson

14:45

33

35:32

20:47

Adam

Gordon

12:00

8

32:59

20:59

James

Higgins

12:30

24

34:01

21:31

Gareth

Boyd

12:30

26

34:06

21:36

Adrian

Jackson

11:00

11

33:12

22:12

Tim

Igoe

09:30

7

31:59

22:29

Roy

Gaskill

12:00

27

34:33

22:33

Joanne

Lacking

11:00

18

33:49

22:49

Phil

Gillard

11:00

19

33:52

22:52

Charlie

Close

10:00

10

33:10

23:10

Jane

Ashbrook

11:30

28

34:47

23:17

Andy

Robinson

10:30

23

33:59

23:29

Carol

Shaw

09:30

21

33:54

24:24

Mike

Searle

09:30

22

33:57

24:27

Vanessa

Griffiths

10:00

29

34:53

24:53

Michelle

Hardwick

02:30

2

27:26

24:56

Janet

Robertson

09:00

25

34:04

25:04

Carl

Pratt

10:00

32

35:14

25:14

Benjamin

Williams

07:30

9

33:06

25:36

Stephen

Wiggins

09:30

31

35:10

25:40

Rachel

Arnold

08:00

17

33:48

25:48

Ellen

Harris

00:00

1

25:53

25:53

Mike

Farwell

10:00

34

36:08

26:08

Graham

Lloyd

05:30

6

31:50

26:20

Chris

Ashbrook

07:00

14

33:31

26:31

Jake

Oldfield-Connor

04:30

3

31:03

26:33

Shan

McCarthy

05:00

12

33:21

28:21

Christopher

Igoe

05:30

20

33:53

28:23

Donna

Geer

03:00

4

31:42

28:42

John

Gallon

04:30

15

33:43

29:13

Jenny

O’Hare

04:30

16

33:47

29:17

Emma

Barnes

02:30

13

33:28

30:58

Alison

Butler

00:30

5

31:43

31:13

Claire Louise

Miller

07:00

35

38:59

31:59

Mike

McShane

03:00

30

35:02

32:02

A festive themed parkrun on Saturday saw a good turn out from Helsby at Delamere and Ben flying solo at Ellesmere Port. Colin Bishop had a great run for sub 18 minutes and first back for Helsby whilst Ellen Harris, fresh from her victory at the Handicap race, saw her first lady home. Also congratulations to Phil Gillard for setting a new PB on the day! Well done everyone.

Saturday also saw our long trail specialist Andy Robinson run the epic Tour de Helvellyn, full report from Andy below:

“On Saturday I ran the Tour de Helvellyn: 38 miles and 8000ft of climbing in the Lake District. It’s a great event, starting from Askham, south of Penrith. It goes over the moors to Ullswater, then over Boredale Hause (399m) to Patterdale, over Sticks Pass (749m) to the north end of Thirlmere. This year we then had to run on the back road along Thirlmere, as the usual route in forestry was temporarily closed. I didn’t enjoy that bit much. The it was back to paths & tracks from Dunmail Raise steeply up Raise Beck to cross the pass (574m), skirt Grisedale Tarn & yomp down the valley to Patterdale. Then we retraced the outward route over Boredale Hause & back to Askham. Conditions were great: wet underfoot of course, but cool and with the wind against us in the first half, making the return feel a lot easier. It was certainly a lot easier than when I ran it in 2011 when there was deep snow on Sticks Pass. I had a really good run, finishing in 8:06:04, 37th of 154 finishers. I was first V60 by 90 minutes, and 6th V50. I’d have been 4th V50 if I hadn’t started off too early & had to wait 10 minutes for the first checkpoint to open. No idea how I managed to run so well – I wasn’t expecting it. If anyone wants a good challenging winter ultra in the mountains, this is the race to do!”

There will be no more 2014 Monday night training sessions; the next one is Jan 5th. A big thank-you to Joe, Mario and Jane et al for putting everyone through their rigorous weekly training sessions at both Helsby High School and Castle Park in 2014. Here’s a reminder of what’s going on over the Xmas period into the start of 2015 on the running front:-

Thu 25th Dec Xmas Day Delamere Park Run9.00 am to work up an appetite for your turkey dinner! Xmas costumes welcome! (NOTE – No club run Xmas Eve!!).

Fri 26th Dec Goshawk Run 12:00 pm;an informal 3 mile run from the Goshawk pub in Mouldsworth. Just turn up and run. It’s also the Race the Walls in Chester.

Sun 28th DecCross Country Counter No 6, North West Sunday League, Stadt Moers, 10:00 am. To lift share please meet at the club ready to leave at 9am. It would be great to see the Green Army out in force for this to run off all the turkey and mince pies. Our flag and tent will be there.

Wed 31st Dec Four Villages Course Reccie. As its New Year’s Eve, it has been suggested we meet at the club at 9:30 am for a run around the Four Villages course. There is the option of cutting it short in a number of places to about half the distance. More details from Carol carols21@hotmail.co.uk10K Time Trail to see the New Year out in style! Colin Thompson is organising a final time trail of the year, meet at the club at 6:30pm.
Sat 3rd JanCross Country Counter No 7, Cheshire Cross Country Championships, Bolesworth Castle, near Tattenhall. 1 pm ladies, 2 pm men, junior races from 11 am. Show case XC of the year for runners & spectators! A chance to see and run with Cheshire’s best and to try and qualify for a Cheshire vest and the Nationals. Pre –entry which is now closed. As a club we are expected to marshal a spot on the course. Please can we have a number of volunteers to help out whilst watching. Please let Janet Robinson know asap Janetmrobertson@gmail.com Mon 5th Jan Last date for entering the Northern XC Championship in Yorkshire, please let Paul know mooeyf@hotmail.com

Mon 5th Jan First Monday Night Training session of the New Year at Castle Park, 6.30pm.

Wed 7th Jan First Club Night of the New Year, our usual training run followed by a talk by Andy Robinson on “Ultra Running”, hopefully to inspire us to do even longer runs in 2105!. Chip Barm supper.

Sun 11th JanCross Country Counter No 8, North West Sunday League, Runcorn Town Park, 10 am. We need to support Warrington Road Runners in organising this race., If any one can help marshal this race please let Janet Robinson know in advance Janetmrobertson@gmail.com

Sun 11th Jan Border League No 3, Birkenhead Park, 11 am.Please note the Runcorn Town Park Sunday League Cross Country on the 11th Jan actually clashes with the Border League at Birkenhead. Thus that day we need a good turn out at BOTH races plus volunteer marshals for the XC, to emphasise : if you can help marshal please at this and/or the Cheshire Championships on 3rd Jan please let Janet know asap.

A big thanks to all everyone for making 2014 a memorable year for Helsby Running Club. Thanks for everyone contributions which have all added up to a busy, successful and enjoyable year of club running. A Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to you all and your families and supporters. Here’s to a very successful running 2015 for you and Helsby Running Club.

Cheers Jackie
Your Chair

That’s all this week, if I have missed any results or races please email me col808@hotmail.com and I will update the blog. If I don’t see you before have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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A cold and frosty Saturday morning saw frozen parkrun courses which resembled more of an ice rink than footpaths, but undeterred by the cold snap we had a good turn out from Helsby at the various parkruns. Stand out performances belong to Joanne who was 3rd lady at Warrington and Jenny Illidge 2nd lady at Delamere. Well done ladies and well done to everyone else who attended and braved the cold conditions.

The weather had warmed up a bit by mid-afternoon which saw the Liverpool & District cross country race at Stadt Moers with 7 Helsby vests making the journey over. A solid performance by the Helsby contingent with CBH taking the first home honours and comfortably in the top 50 and Jane Ashbrook first in for the ladies. Also congratulation to Claire Morton for running her first XC on a chilly day – we hope you’ll be back! Steve R says “great course, one of the best. I’d recommend it to anyone who fancies the return match in the Sunday League on Sunday 28th. Beginner friendly, easy to find” Well done all!

Sunday saw Colin Bishop travel down south to London town to compete in the Regents Park 10k. Race report from Colin to Follow:

“Regents park today. Very cold frosty morning. Fairly flat as you know. Came 8th in a time of 35.17. Bit of a farce winner not wearing his number but allowed to take the finish. Enjoyed the race though. Good turnout with 600 runners.”

Well done Colin, great result once again!

And not one to miss a double racing opportunity at the weekend saw Jim Jones compete in the Litton Christmas Cracker fell race on Sunday. In Jims own words:

“I was away in the peak district doing the inaugural Litton Christmas Cracker fell race. Was lucky with the weather. It was very wet, but from the rain that had already fallen, What a fantastic route. It had a bit of everything a true multi terrain race. Some fast road/trail running with also some tough slippy climbs and descents. The half mile wading along the swollen bank of the River Wye was interesting – not quite knowing where the river bank ended and dropped into the river! With 1178ft of climb over 7.6 miles it was more technically challenging than some of the longer races I’ve done lately. Went over on my ass once and took a wrong turning but still finished 51st out of 166, so pretty chuffed. And I won the raffle afterwards! This race was well hosted by Tidesewell Running Club and I reckon they’ll easily reach their race limit of 200 next year.”

Thanks for the write up Jim and well done!

And finally to the most important race of the year – the Halton Haven santa dash! We heard that Roy had been training all year for this particular race, and came well prepared with race gels and recovery shakes (and knee high stockings!) 6 Helsby santas (5 men and a lady, or was it? It was hard to tell!) lined up for the short sprint over the Runcorn bridge, down the expressway to Astmoor and back along the busway to a finish outside the Brindley Theatre. It was a brilliant morning with Fitzy and myself crossing the finish line together to take the win (not hand in hand luckily, that’s how rumours start) Roy 4th and Joanne taking the win for the ladies. Phil Roberts and Charlie soon followed, but in a fun run like this most of us managed to repress our racing instincts, forgot about race times and just enjoyed the carnival atmosphere – plus it was hard to concentrate anyway with the amount of wolf whistles Fitzy was receiving on route! A mince pie and a pint of Guinness in the Ferry Boat topped off a fantastic morning. Also, I must add, the money raised going to an important charity at the Halton Haven Hospice.

Meet at the club at 6:30 pm (Xmas dress optional!). We will have a warm up, then gather at the start near Tesco for our 3.3 mile dash to Godscroft Lane and back with handicap starts (which I am currently compiling!!). Please bring a wrapped Xmas present to the value of £5 for the secret Santa prize giving in the bar afterwards. For the supper Lesley & Dave will email soon asking for a number of volunteers to bring big pans of soup to warm us all up (davidfeakes1234@btinternet.com)NOTE we have three club entries for the London Marathon so please bring along your London Marathon rejection slips and we will draw for the three places this evening.

That’s all this week. Enjoy the handicap on Wednesday and hopefully we’ll get a good turn out. If I have missed any results please get in touch and I’ll update the blog.

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Saturdays Parkrun at Delamere was won by Helsbys Colin Bishop with Clare Morton getting a PB, while Colin Pratt secured 10th place at Warrington. Great running from all. Full Parkrun results can be found at the link below.

On Sunday Seven Helsby runners turned out at Cardington Cracker with Max Wainwright finishing 5th in 1:23:01, Jim O’Hara – 17th, Chris Bayham-Hughes – 57th, 70th, Phillip Roberts 91th, Tim Palmer- 124th and Andy R – 125th. Tim reports that, apart from the rain at the start, it was a good run with great views and some steep ascents and descents and also a nice pub for post run pint.

Sunday was also Border League race number 2 at Tattenhall. Another strong turn out for the club saw the Ladies team in second place on the day with the Men team getting third. Joanne Lacking was first home for the Ladies and Colin Thompson first back for the men. The results mean the Ladies are now 4th in Division 1 while the Men are 2nd in Division 2. Full results and standings are at the links below.

Lastly, a now clean shaven Colin Bishop would like to thank to all of those who very generously contributed. over the weekend Helsby runners donated £41.65. That brings his total for Movember to £80. Well done Colin.

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24-Nov > 30-Nov 2014

It’s a beast this week!

Road Running

Ravenstonedale 10k
The incredibly fast glide of Mr. Colin Bishop was on display at the Ravenstonedale 10k. In a strong field Colin came 6th in a time of 36:28. The course featured several hills around a beautiful village. One worth doing according to Colin; that word is law so look out for this one next year road runners!

Fell Running

David Staff Memorial Fell race or Darwen’s theory of evolution – part 2
To start the report, I would beg your indulgence and allow me to paraphrase Darwin’s theory of evolution part 1 (the original) – a load of slow moving creatures moved out of their swamps onto the land, moved over continents into new lands, developed new skills and become a super species- the human.

Darwen’s theory of evolution part 2 relates to the evolution of the next level of super species – Helsby Running club’s ladies in the form of Jackie and Jane. How can they drink the amount they did on Saturday evening, retire to their swamps, emerge on Sunday morning, move over continents (Cheshire to Darwen, Lancashire), learn how to walk / run again and then deliver fantastic results, it is beyond belief. A super species if ever there was one.

Now onto the detail of the race, a short sharp route up from Sunnyhurst woods to the Darwen tower, across the moors, traverse back across the other side of the hill, climb slightly back towards the tower and then let go on the 1 mile descent back to the bandstand in the woods – a kind of fell running equivalent of a 5K – all runnable and nowhere to hide.

……………and by the way there we also some examples of the (slightly less) super species – Helsby men and Helsby supporters in the form of Bill, Jenny, Mario and Joe. Provisional results below:

41st – Phil Gillard – 35.34

70th – Tim Palmer – 37.40

86th – Jane Ashbrook – 39.07

96th – Paul Foster – 39.35

138th Jackie Keasley – 45.22

Cross Country

Sefton Park
Race report from current chairman Jackie Keasley

A quick note on Saturdays Liverpool & District XC. A top class event and amazing to see all the top runners with a huge number of U23 in the field. Results are on local Liverpool & District site and UKA site.

In the end I arrived late and ended up doing the men’s open race instead (I was runner 1294 in the mens race, no name assigned in results yet!), a good thing really as it meant the “men” has a team of 6 in the race! Just short of 6 miles in 3 big laps of Sefton Park. A great atmosphere with a large vocal crowd and race commentary that could be heard throughout the race.

My second and third laps were an incredible contrast but both enjoyable and memorable! I got lapped towards the end of my second lap, but it was an amazing seeing top speed athletes fly past all pushing each other and the finish line with very lively commentary. The third lap saw a hardy bunch of also rans continue around the park, in quiet solitude, an amazing contrast that sums up the full spectrum of running! As the race was won by 2 Scots, whilst steadily running through the beech tree walk at the far side of the park, Flower of Scotland and the Gay Gordons followed by Bay City Rollers and the Beatles echoed out, I’ll remember that for a while!

Chris Fitzpatrick writes:
6 Helsby runners arrived at Sefton Park all in awe of the talent on show for this 9.8km XC, it was a qualifying race for British Athletics cross country team that travels to Bulgaria in 2 weeks time for the world XC championships, Mo Farah and Andy Vernon have ran this over the past few years and Gemma Steel was taking part in the womens race again which she won last year, and yes she won again this year.

Its safe to say we didn’t qualify for the English team and can still take part in the santa dash instead. Great running from everyone, although Jackie fancied running with them elite men instead of the women as she arrived a little late, and as she said “I loved being lapped by the elite men”, think a few of us managed not to get lapped and I even beat CBH 🙂 ( it was actually Adrian) but sssshhhh don’t tell him (Ed: I am outraged, but also pleased as I’m sure Adrian got a faster time than I would have!)

Not quite sure how the results have worked out but there was nearly 600 runners but think the elites have been stripped out of these below?

A fine, still, sunny autumnal morning made for perfect running conditions for the second cross country race of the weekend. Going firm to soft.

I’ve raced at Arrowe Park loads of times over the years and still have a fondness for it as a cross country course, it isn’t the most technically challenging course, but has enough variety in it to keep it interesting. This year for the first time it the course was run in an anticlockwise as opposed to the more normal clockwise direction which made some differences. Leaving the narrow path through the tussocky grass until later in the lap removed this bottleneck, but the tight turns round the infield straight after the start still made for some jostling for position before the gentle climb to behind the hospital could shake the field out into some sort of order.

With 8 green vests lining up to the start line we had some impressive running from the Green Army; Gaz pulling on his spikes for the first time since he was 14; Colin B fresh from a tough 10 k in the Lake District; Colin T fresh from his new found interest in nordic skiing; Adrian looking fresh from his good run in Sefton Park – myself feeling less fresh from the previous day; and Ian Landucci, Lesley and Vanessa just looking fresh as daisies as always.

Thanks to Jane for support on the course and an impressive array of cakes for afterwards – more than we could eat, despite our best efforts.

Yet to see the results, but I think the combined men’s team were 2nd on the day against some very strong competition on the day. Well done to all the Helsby team.

Steve normally still sends me the results, so I’ll forward then on to you when I get them

Long Distance Trail & Ultras

Dark & White mini Mountain Marathon
Ok, so not a long distance trail or an ultra, but it doesn’t fit anywhere else so here is Andy Robinson’s report from the weekend.

I ran in the Dark & White mini Mountain Marathon in the Peak District yesterday: 4 hours of navigation in thick cloud From Edale & around Kinder Scout. I came in 48th out of 162 finishing teams (teams of 1 or 2 runners), 9th V50 out of 35 teams. Results are here. It was a great event, with everyone’s navigation skills given a full workout.

RunFurther Ultra Championships
After the race we had the AGM and prizegiving for this year’s Runfurther Ultra Championships – I won the V60 category for 2014, full details here. I won a £25 voucher and some running socks. I’ve spent the voucher on more socks – can’t have too many socks. Then I got bladdered with the rest of the committee. I’ll talk about the Runfurther series as part of my talk on Wed 7 January.

Fantastic result Andy, huge congratulations!!!

Peak Raid 3 mini Mountain Marathon
I also ran in this race from Totley, near Sheffield, the weather was better & I wasn’t. I could only manage 69th out of 100.

Parkrun:
Ben Williams reports from London where the streets are paved with gold… but what are the parks like? Over to Ben to find out:

I took advantage of a weekend with friends in London to run Bushy parkrun near Hampton Court – the ‘home’ of parkrun. It attracts much bigger numbers than our local runs, but the route is open enough to accommodate everyone easily. The surface was a mix of grass and compacted mud, with very little of the run on tarmac. The most impressive thing is the way that the volunteers deal with almost 1000 runners, especially in the finish area. 23:31 got me 266th out of 964 finishers.

Looking at the winning time I suspect they are a pro in disguise!

Speaking of Pros, Colin Thompson showed his calss to take first in the Warrington Park run – Top work Colin!

RemindersWed 3rd DecTalk after our club training run, with chip buttie supper, in the bar at the Club House. From “Couch Potato to Marathon Runner” by our own Claire Louise Miller. Please let Leslie & Dave know you are coming asap davidfeakes1234@btinternet.com

4 Villages –Help Required
We’re currently short of Marshals. The 4VHM is critical to club funds, is why your membership is so cheap and it is the blue ribbon event for the club. Please contact Dave Feakes if you can help out.

Runners please remember it’s unusual for runners to run in their own club’s race, certainly when it is on this scale. Please could you provide a volunteer to help out with the marshalling (friend, family member, etc.) They get a good spectator spot guaranteed!

Don’t worry if you’ve not marshalled before, we will let you have full details of the role prior to the event together with a very attractive marshal’s vest.

Sandstone Trail Challenge open for entries!
Andy has update the website for this popular Helsby Race. 33 and a bit miles of fun is on offer and yes, there are jaffa cakes! One of the best value ultra distance challenges right on your doorstep so don’t be shy, roll up, roll up! http://www.helsbyrunningclub.org.uk/sandstone-intro.htm

Naturally Andy will also be looking for volunteers so if you don’t fancy running it but can help out then the date for your diary is Sat 9th May 2015.Please let Andy know if you can help.

Community Corner

Let’s get active in the community

Helsby Parish Council would like to develop the land where Sherwood Court once stood(by the Library), as a outdoor adult exercise park. They need to do feasibility study, so they are applying for a grant from Active Cheshire to enable them to take this project forward. So please vote and hopefully we can improve this run down area of the village.

Jackie, Betty and Colin, were also out on Saturday promoting Helsby Running Club at the open-morning event supporting the local GP Health Centre PPG initiative called ‘Keeping Well In the Community’ or ‘KWIC’ at Helsby Community Centre.

Xmas Drinks

No, We’ve not idea what Dave is doing either, but it makes for a good photo!

Chris Fitzpatrick, the ringleader for the Helsby Christmas night out shares his drinks report:

Helsby Night out was…well a typical Helsby night out, lots of laughter, lots of drunk people, and lots of great xmas jumpers on show, thanks to everyone who came and had a right old knees up, I hear people are now joining Helsby RC just to be able to come out with us, never mind running.